Yak World (YAKWORLD.WAD)

YAK WORLD
by Spackle Ltd.

Yak World is one of the only PWADs I can remember playing prior to 2010 (the other is ZEUS). It’s not a jokeWAD in the best-known sense; rather, it's a Doom WAD that doesn't take itself that seriously (the best kind of jokewad). Produced by Spackle Ltd., a two man team consisting of the level's author (Yak Man) and the guy who owns the computer the author worked on (Mister Bob) and an "intern", you’ll find two maps to marvel at. E1M1 is the main attraction, housing most of the silliness and monsters. There’s a secret level, E1M9, but it’s very small and really more of an afterthought. I've seen a Doom II version floating around – there's one on the Maximum Doom portion of the Master Levels – but from what I can tell it’s an unauthorized conversion.

ZEUS (ZEUS.WAD)

ZEUS
by Stephen Renton

Zeus is a single map for the original Doom, replacing E2M5. It's pretty short, clocking in at 69 monsters. Renton ascribes the project to his high-resolution scanner. Clearly he was replicating the artwork of H.R. Giger, whose bio-mechanical imagery dominates the level's new wall graphics, the sole exception being a forest landscape that significantly clashes with the room it's used in. Honestly, very little of the graphics actually fit. The skull texture that marks most of the map's doors stands out in a sea of wallpapered nightmares, like the paper clip woman (Illuminatus I) or the labial archways in the outdoor area or bare-breasted witches (Witches' Dance). Thank goodness Renton spared us from Landscape XX.

Laura Beyer's Doom (LBDOOM.WAD)

Perhaps the most infamous of all unauthorized Doom products, Laura Beyer's Doom was sold for $20 and featured nine maps, replacing the first episode (with an install process that modified the Doom IWAD), and coming with three "bonus" levels. I really don't know how much Beyer was actually involved in this work. She's listed as the "Boss (she made us do it!)" and the destination for game orders, but Mike "Laura's BOY TOY" Helm is the Head Programmer with Kody Zander and Darryl Dewald listed as the actual level designers. Certainly someone was responsible for the new graphics and sounds, a few of the latter I recognize as appearing in Eternal Doom (and many other WADs of the time). As to how the team assembled, it looks like almost everyone was (and still is) stationed in Creston, Canada, so I assume they were friends.

Elements (ELEMENTS.WAD)

Elements is a short, five-part minisode for the original Doom, replacing E1M1-M4 and M9. Crafted by Neal Ziring, it details Earth's counterattack to the forces of Hell, made through the realms of the four elements – Air, Water, Earth and Fire. While initially successful, Hell repelled the human incursion. With your superiors ordering a retreat, you decide to take matters into your own hands and head into the plane of Air armed with little more than your trusty sidearm (of course).

Tantrum 2 (TANTRUM2.WAD)

TANTRUM 2
by Ola Björling

Ola Björling released the original Tantrum in early '96. Tantrum 2, released in '98, is a remake of the original, featuring most of the same layout but with improved structure, improved lighting, improved counters, everything. As with the original, it's a map composed of beige brick, brown metal, and a wee bit of green stone, mostly at the beginning and ending. There's no plot, of course. It's just another Doom II map. Well, "just another" is a little disingenuous, because it's an excellent level.

Doom the Way id Did

DOOM THE WAY ID DID
by assorted authors

Deimos: Slight Return (DEIMOS-V.WAD)

Rex Claussen released Deimos: Slight Return shortly after the Persecution Complex's remodeling of his Phobos Revisited (The Phobos Directive). Slight Return is the sequel to his 2004 Cacoward-winner, this time remaking Doom's second episode in his particular style. Ever the voodoo chile, he's resurrected the essentials of The Shores of Hell, but changing some of the elements - reordering progression, altering and adding secrets, or creating brand new sections to level layouts.

Run Buddy (RUNBUDDY.WAD)

RUN BUDDY
by Michael Krause

Run Buddy is a single WAD by Michael Krause, replacing Doom II's MAP03. Made for the more recent (at the time) Boom engine, it's a very large map, though its population of 400-plus monsters fails to fill it out to any significant degree. It's not a bad thing, it just gives the level a remarkably different air compared to other works. The overall picture to me is like a well-manicured virtual playground, more abstract game than any stab at a facsimile of reality. It's very cool with vast, impressive architecture, worthy of slaughterfests a la Hell Revealed but tastefully outfitted with a monster arrangement more suited to the skills of the average Doomer.